Oakleaf Mennonite Farm is pleased to announce it will offer four weeks of “Peace and Carrots Camp” for children ages 5 to 12 this summer. Children will work side-by-side with farmers planting and harvesting, taking care of animals, and enjoying the work of the farm. They will also enjoy games, songs, crafts, drama and service and art projects that will affirm their spirits, stimulate their compassion and equip them to disarm both themselves and their ‘enemies’.
A farm in the city? Yes. Oakleaf Mennonite Farm is located in East Atlanta, where we operate a nine-acre, fully functional urban farm complete with livestock (goats, sheep, and chickens), fruit bushes and trees, and produce crops. We believe that kids should know where their food comes from. We believe they should learn the joy of working in the outdoors and with the good earth, too. And we hope they will gain access to their sources of food and learn how to partake in the process of growing food themselves through our camps. Weekly activities will include planting and harvesting, taking care of animals, interacting with local Atlanta food and farming experts, cooking classes, and plenty of time to relax, play, and enjoy the farm. Your children will also help produce and harvest food in our Neighbor’s Garden, a community garden where we raise food for hungry and under-resourced folks in our immediate community.
Peace training for kids? Sure thing. We all need it. But no politics, here. Think win-win games, conflict transformation, and teamwork strategies. Campers will be taught skills necessary to deal with their problems in a peaceful manner. Campers will also be encouraged to come up with their own creative solutions to the problems they see at camp, at home, at school, and in the world. We use the award-winning “Peace Train” curriculum developed by Little Friends for Peace to show kids how each step in a conflict can be a chance to use creativity in order to turn things to a different end. By the end of the camp, children will have learned how to appreciate themselves, treasure diversity around them and in their new friends, express anger safely, and utilize problem-solving skills.
Children will also have the opportunity to interact with peers from diverse backgrounds, including children from the refugee community in Atlanta. Your camp tuition not only sponsors your child for a week of gardening and peace building fun, but it also provides the funding for a child from an under-resourced community to participate. Imagine giving those children an opportunity they would not otherwise have; imaging giving your children an opportunity they would not otherwise have. Imagine children . . . together.
DATES: Sessions will be offered on the following weeks:
June 10th – 14th 8 AM to 1 PM
June 17th – 21st 8 AM to 1 PM
July 8th – 12th 8 AM to 1 PM
July 15th – 19th 8 AM to 1 PM
Additional weeks and private farm camps may be scheduled.
COSTS: Each weekly session costs $200/child. We also have extended afternoon care available from 1pm-4pm for an additional $75/week (per child). Scholarships available.
AGES: 5 Years Old to 12 Years Old
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Oakleaf Mennonite Farm is an urban farm located on the campus of Berea Mennonite Church in East Atlanta. We are a working farm on a church campus, but our programs are not specifically religious. Children of all faiths are welcomed and included and we look forward to the ways our differences open up the truths of the world to each other. Our summer staff includes a full-time farmer, a full-time permaculturist, four graduate school interns, and two ordained staff to lead our hands-on lessons. All adult leaders are trained in basic medical care and screened to ensure the children are safe at all times.
Children who participate will have plenty of time for outdoor play and activity as they interact with each other and the farm. Our program fully immerses children into a working farm. Campers will be outside for play and activity most of each day and inside to cool off, for some presentations, or if the heat is too great. They will be introduced to soil chemistry and cover cropping, composting and vermiculture, as well as planning and planting. They will also learn about organic supplements and additives, use of “friendly” insects and how we treat pests. The children will have an opportunity to harvest from both plants and animals each day. They will directly participate in the care of animals each day as well, learning the vital role these partners play on the farm.
Only naturally grown and local foods will be served to your children. Local chefs will join us each week for cooking lessons and the children will both bring foods home to share with their families and learn about making healthy food choices for themselves.
Campers should bring swimsuits and towels for cool down (and clean-up) activities. We don’t have a pool, but we have one of the most extensive sprinkler systems in the city and irrigation water is clean and cold!
Please email peaceandcarrotscamp@gmail.com or call 404-244-0289 for more information, to apply, or to provide a donation to support scholarships.
You can also follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peace-and-Carrots-Camp/464229723645815.
